This description relates to particular techniques to select a file that includes text, images, video and/or other data for display on a client computing device, and more particularly, to selecting such a file based at least in part on a load time requirement specified by a publisher.
At least some known systems for selecting content items (e.g., a file that includes text, images, video, and/or other data) for display in a publication (e.g., web page) do not factor in the loading time associated with the content items. For example, in at least some known content item selection systems that utilize an auction process, a particular content item may be selected for display because it is relevant to the publication and has a bid (e.g., price that a content provider, such as an advertiser, has agreed to pay for it to be served to a consumer) that is greater than bids associated with other content items under consideration. However, the selected content item may have a loading time that is relatively slow compared to the loading time of the publication. Accordingly, the selected content item may cause the publication as a whole to load slowly on a client computing device. Such a result may be dissatisfactory for publishers who focus on ensuring that their publications load quickly.